In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

After finishing the jacket shoot we returned to our daily routine

Since that day my younger brothers began watching me closely for some reason I couldn’t understand

Were they planning something for my birthday

So I warned them in advance that I hate surprises and they said they wanted to live too and wouldn’t do anything like that

That was too much

If anyone heard they’d think I was some kind of tyrant I said and they asked if I wasn’t

Mean kids

But thoughts about my birthday were soon pushed aside by various new developments

At the end of October the tracklist for our second album was finally finalized

Five songs in total

Because Hyesung and Junghyun’s work progressed more slowly than expected we decided to make the mixtape a single Outro track and put our fan song Starlight as track four

After an A&R meeting the title song name was settled from among Masque Masquerade and Masked Ball

1 Masquerade Title

2 Kkotbul

3 Baraboda

4 Starlight

5 Outro For You

Along with the tracklist came the album cover draft

In the practice room we all gasped as we examined it

“Wow”

The youngest who’d been lying on my arm swung his head around

“Hyung how do you feel”

“What about”

“This is the pig dream you had coming true isn’t it There’s Mascara over there”

“Masquerade”

“Right anyway it’s popped out as our song now”

Seeing the youngest’s expression as if so much had happened made me laugh

“Jiho we haven’t even started promotions yet Why get melancholy already”

My brothers chimed in eagerly

“That’s right Wang Jiho pull yourself together”

“Jiho our journey is still very long”

“Very long”

“Wow one comment and they all swarm me Really your sensitivity is just too m...”

As if forgetting he’d been called dry our youngest sprang up

“Ugh practice then”

He jumped and split his legs overhead in a stretch and we laughed until he lost his balance and we burst out laughing

Bi-ju rushed over to catch him

Then he glanced at our laughter

“...”

He really lectured us for five minutes

He went on about what if someone gets hurt how can Kim Junghyun still swallow gummy bears down his throat and he knows hyung laughed the loudest and so on

“At times like this you have to run quickly Got it Especially you Woo-joo hyung and Junghyun”

“Yes understood”

When Junghyun and I answered Ri-hyuk asked with a sullen face

“What about me hyung”

“Ri-hyuk you’re weak so it’s okay if you can’t help”

“Oh hyung you’re weaker though”

Jiho burst out laughing

When Bi-ju smiled and turned his head the youngest flinched and stepped back

“Jiho”

“...”

“Jiho sit here Everyone else go in”

Stupid Wang Jiho

I want to write on his tombstone Wang Jiho dug his own grave

A long lecture followed

Especially about Jiho twisting his ankle a month before our debut album so our main dancer looked at him with worried eyes

It’s unfair though

When our youngest staggered I saw his muscles move and he was supposed to just tip then catch his balance

If he was really going to get hurt I would have moved first

Then my brothers would tease me for two weeks calling me the Samaritan of Sinsa-dong

“Come on let’s practice now”

I clapped my hands and we practiced choreography to Masquerade

We corrected posture by watching videos sent by the choreographer and I explained principles to my brothers

We did this for an hour then rested ten minutes then another hour then ten minutes

If someone made a mistake we stopped immediately

Today’s unlucky one was Ri-hyuk

“Ah shit I messed up”

“Come here Come here quickly”

“Ri-hyuk hurry up”

The youngest and I waved our hands like twin penguins beckoning him and Ri-hyuk sighed

“Ah This is unfair I’m obviously the worst at choreography so of course I make mistakes”

“Your excuse is too long red eared one”

“Hurry Come here”

He continued to complain with a disgruntled expression

“Honestly I’m going to expose this injustice to our fans later The tilted playing field I’m experiencing”

“Hmm Isn’t it flat here”

“Just hit me hyung”

Then came the energetic Indian Burns down his back

It was a punishment we’d thought over

In group choreography practice when one person makes a mistake there’s that awkward silence denial

A grudging voice saying Let’s do better or It’s okay it’s okay just don’t mess up next time Oh you messed up again and a quiver at the lips

Either way it’s unpleasant

I’d experienced it for six years and knew well

So we created a punishment that wouldn’t embarrass the person and would let practice continue happily

The problem was it was too fun

“Ha ha ha this is so fun”

“Right I hope someone else messes up soon”

“But hyung what if we get caught”

“Junghyun Why think like that”

I said with a warm smile

“If we don’t get caught it’s fine right”

“Wow you’re right hyung”

“Whoa our hyung is a genius That’s right As long as we’re not caught”

The three of them laughed in sync and Ri-hyuk sighed

“If I ever have to leave a dying message I’ll name you three Seriously”

“Ri-hyuk I’m on your side”

“No need I’ll walk my own path”

With a confident look of Nobody can stop me Ri-hyuk demonstrated choreography

“That hand motion’s wrong”

Bi-ju immediately pointed it out and his face fell like rain

After our main dancer’s coaching I clapped my hands to refocus attention

“All right shall we try again”

Practice resumed

Sweat poured and the air conditioning chilled it only for fresh sweat to replace it

Our bodies tingled and we felt dizzy but no one suggested resting

Even our youngest silently practiced

They all felt the pressure of the second album

Sitting still made them anxious

Resting made them think Is this allowed

They felt they had to do something

That pressure came from many things

First there were articles entertainment reporters wrote whenever they had the chance

New Black second album comeback another self-composed title track

Greatest rookie New Black Will they succeed again Three points to watch

Who will win this year’s rookie award Experts answer

Then the interest seen in idol communities

Oh they self-composed again for the next album??

That fireworks song was my jam looking forward lol

Will the title be good?? The reality video praised them like Korean Mozart haha

Ko-zart?

But they must feel a lot of pressure 1st album was a massive success

Of course these internet articles and fans were only a fraction

Hardly anyone outside our Soufflé fans cared about a rookie preparing a second album

But we felt it deeply

Moreover walking around the company we overheard talk

They spent crazy money again

Actors complained singer team spent too much since Scarlet They don’t say it outright but you can tell from the managers’ atmosphere they had a fight recently

But New Black delivers return on investment fireworks was great

Well yeah Everything’s been a hit so far

Entertainment articles internet reactions and company gossip all sank deep into our minds

Naturally the last was the heaviest

Our CEO and director were pouring money into our album and top professionals participated in its production

That was the reason for our pressure

We had to show our best in the next album

But after the producing meeting all we could do was what we do as singers

So we were doing our best

Practice then practice again

While our hearts pounded wildly our dances in the mirror differed but our expressions were the same

Faces full of desire to do better than now

“Oh right hyung”

During our next break as I gulped electrolyte drink from a bottle Bi-ju shared interesting news

“I heard in the office they’re coming to the practice room tomorrow to film reality”

“They’re filming practice scenes”

“Seems so And a mentor will come to help with practice....”

“Really”

I couldn’t help but smile

I hoped whoever it was would hurry here

I put the empty bottle on the floor

“Come on let’s start again”

“Go go”

“Fighting”

We were still thirsty

Incheon International Airport arrival hall on the first floor

As the doors opened a group of arrivals pushed a cart inside

“Mom”

“Aigo Korea smells different already”

“Here Here”

Passengers from the plane from the U.S. were reuniting with relatives when an African-American man walked out

A handsome face hidden behind sunglasses

In tracksuit but his physique and movements drew attention

He admired the clean airport interior briefly then the man with the duffel bag looked around

His assistant followed behind pushing the cart

They said someone would meet me Ah there they are’

Three men and women stood out

A sharp-featured man with glasses a woman who appeared to be an interpreter and

What’s this

A large man stood there

Such a build was common in LA but seeing it on a Korean stunned me

Clay Tyler read on a welcome sign waved lightly and approached

“I’m Yoon Seok-hwan manager at Lemon Ent. Nice to meet you”

“Nice to meet you”

“Was your flight comfortable”

As the interpreter relayed their conversation Tyler nodded toward the person following

“By the way who’s this friend Bodyguard”

“He’s our newly hired manager”

They got into a vehicle waiting at the transport center

On the way to a hotel in Gangnam-gu Tyler stared out the window

Past Incheon Bridge the deep blue sea came into view

‘My fourth time in Korea’

Clay Tyler, a dancer running a dance academy in LA and a choreographer active worldwide, recalled past visits

One for workshops and competitions gathering dancers from many countries and two for K-pop idol choreography

They weren’t great memories

Big companies paid well but the results were unsatisfying

Though performers did their best it fell far short of expectations

Demanding that level from singers who must also sing might be too much but he felt disappointed

Just a bit more

If it pushed further it would be fantastic

He always felt that way

‘New Black...’

He had no high expectations

It’s been about four months since they became singers

He replayed on his phone a video he’d seen on the plane

New Black’s Gunflower cover stage

Because he’d created choreography for Tinspirit the moves were clear to him

“Hmm...”

He scanned the video noting minor details: loss of balance during weight shifts, incorrect muscle use in waves, wrong footwork

He made a comprehensive judgment

‘With that skill they must have practiced for about six weeks’

In reality they’d practiced for only three weeks but Tyler didn’t know that and stroked his chin

As he mentally reviewed each member’s name his gaze naturally settled on one member

Since morning HBS MTV production staff had installed cameras throughout the practice room

“What is this”

“Right hyung Who’s coming I wonder”

From mini cams on every side to a director carrying a camera

“I’ve seen this scene a lot”

“Really”

When I nodded to Junghyun’s question Jiho cut in

“I’ll bet ten thousand won it’s about the military”

“I’ll bet five hundred”

“Can I bet too”

“No This is only for minors”

“Junghyun want to bet”

“Hmm What”

“Never mind”

They drummed and clapped among themselves then looked at me with shining eyes

Get on with it, they seemed to say

“When the military prepares like this it’s usually a division commander or a member of the National Assembly...”

“I got it I should get ten thousand won from you hyung”

“I’ll give five hundred”

“Why should I give you money”

Before I knew it the conversation had gone to Andromeda

I rubbed my stiff neck and blew out a disgruntled sigh

Ah I want red ginseng

Ignoring the robbers demanding fifteen ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) hundred won I continued

“Anyway they said a mentor will help us practice so with this many cameras...”

They meant someone we’d call teacher not just senior was coming

Who on earth could it be

Discussion continued

“Maybe it’s senior Yoon Chan-hyuk He could coach our song one day”

“Someone from the crew who works with Hyesung senior...”

“Could it be choreographer Han A-yun She’s been doing a lot of broadcast work lately”

They were listing their wishes

The camera director checked his phone then angled it toward our faces

Immediately the door clattered open

Reality production staff with cameras our managers and a foreigner we’d never seen entered

Startled we hid behind hyung

“Hey guys”

A man in black wearing a fedora smiled cheerfully

Who is this

As I paused the man removed his sunglasses

“...?”

Three seconds Two seconds One second

“...!”

The moment we recognized him we all widened our eyes in shock

“Woaah”

Clay Tyler

The choreographer we’d nearly bought for the price of a car and a world-famous dancer

Bi-ju and I reacted intensely

For me I often learned dances by watching his videos on MiTube

Last year the choreography I practiced nonstop for Cold Brown’s song was his work

Bi-ju’s reaction was even more extreme

He once showed me an animated motion-capture dance video saying it was him

Like a cat worshipping a chur god

“Y...”

I’d never seen him blush before

As he fanned his face the man tilted his head

“Y... you’re my new”

“New”

“God is god Bi-ju”

“No no new god”

Everyone burst out laughing at his mix-up

When the man joked What about angel instead Bi-ju nodded seriously Okay angel and everyone laughed again

One by one we greeted the famous dancer

Then we looked at the figures behind him

Our usual coach Joo Ye-hyung had a fan-girl expression like Bi-ju and Seok-hwan hyung laughed at our fussing

And two new faces

A large intimidating man and a woman who looked tired

From her aura she seemed the interpreter

And the person beside her could he be the new manager

No way

He looked like a ghost from a horror film that would run barefoot away screaming

At least the yellow rubber duck phone cover in his hand softened that

While thinking that we chatted cheerfully with Clay Tyler

Although we could speak English we chose to use the interpreter

In case my words were misunderstood or mistranslated in a different culture

The interpreter familiar with American culture would convey correctly I trusted

I’ll ask him lots of questions later

“As the choreographer of Masquerade I’ll help you daily for three hours over five days While I coach this time my time is yours Ask me anything about dance without hesitation”

“Wow amazing”

“Totally amazing”

At our excited chatter the interpreter repeatedly said in a businesslike voice “Oh my god oh my god”

“Okay guys”

Clay Tyler clapped his hands and said in English

“First show me your stage Once to see how much you’ve practiced so far”

After the managers left only our choreography trainer and the reality production staff remained in the practice room

“Let’s do well”

“Let’s go”

We cheered each other on and Joo Ye-hyung pressed play

Enjoying the melody of Masquerade we gave everything we had from our first practice to dawn yesterday

Without a single mistake

Meanwhile our trainer and the American choreographer whispered to each other

After the performance

“Phew...”

When the five of us stood gasping Tyler folded his arms and nodded

Then he opened his mouth